A variety of less invasive procedures can be performed on a patient to reach selected locations within the patient's body. These procedures can be used, for example, for entry into the abdominal cavity or urinary track, or for reaching the patient's genital organs. Many of these less invasive procedures are also performed within a patient's cardiovascular system. For any of these procedures, guidewires or other medical device structures are often used to snake through the vascular system and position the device at a desired location within the patient. If a guidewire has been positioned within the patient, a stent, catheter, balloon, or other medical device can then be positioned within the system by sliding them over the guidewire to a desired location.
Generally, when positioning the guidewire within the patient's body, the wire traverses along a pathway, such as vessels of the cardiovascular system. These pathways often include many obstacles, such as curves, bends, and branches, which can make positioning considerably more complicated than following a clear path. To navigate along the curves and branches, guidewires and catheters are often made of flexible materials, such as spring stainless steel or shape memory alloys, which enable flexing of the components with the curves and branches. However, using materials with too much flexibility can inhibit the control and steerability of the guidewire and overall manipulability of medical device components.